The first part of Mad Men's final season begins next month, with a second and concluding part airing in 2015.

Speaking to PA on the red carpet at Paleyfest, Hamm said: "It will be hard to say goodbye but it is important to say goodbye. Things come to an end, good things especially, and people move on and you have to say goodbye.

"Whether it is sending your kid off to college or going to college yourself, moving on is part of life and I think it will be emotional but also cathartic," he added.

The actor said that he feels that he understands Don "fairly well" heading into the final run of episodes.

"I have been playing him almost a decade of my life and I have gone through a lot with our guy and we all feel the same way about our characters, we all get it and so do the writers and and there is two way trust that goes through that and that is a rewarding part of the creative process," he explained.

Elsewhere, the show's creator Matthew Weiner has ruled out a potential Mad Men spinoff.

Mad Men returns on April 13 on AMC in the US and on April 16 on Sky Atlantic in the UK.